Middlesex Fells Summer Trail Run Series

This trail run series is sponsored by Marathon Sports, Massachusetts dcr and 0600 Conditioning. Each week Marathon Sports has different vendors set up a table and give out cool stuff.

This week we had Darn Tough Vermont and Cliff Bar. Cliff had tons of items for us to take as many as we wanted.

Everyone had something to eat before the race and took a few items home. Cliff has a new packet that keeps the tear off tab on their SHOT gel packs from becoming additional trash on our roads.

They call it the “Litter Leash.”

It’s a problem many of us have been conflicted over. Check them out the next time you’re at Marathon Sports or your local running store.

Darn Tough was going to do trivia contest, but only about 25 people showed for the run, so we all got socks!

Lifetime guarantee on those socks!

The run is free and you get some cool stuff. There is plenty of free parking and the run through the woods is a blast! Check out Marathon Sports’ Facebook page for details.

When I got there I was the first runner, once again. I helped a little with setting up a table and signed Marathon Sports’ waiver. They probably have a dozen on file for me already.

As people started showing up the conversation became lively. Eventually a few of my friends showed up and we had fun comparing summer running plans and experiences. A guy from 0600 Conditioning told us about the trail and what markers to look for.

Middlesex Fells Trail Run

Around 6:25 we had to cross four lanes of road to get to the start of the run. Traffic wasn’t too bad and there were a lot of us. more than anyone would want to hit.

The run started on the trail head right across from the parking lot. It was all up hill on uneven paths with stones and roots everywhere. I was running with Don Keren and both of us felt a little out of sorts. We were breathing heavy and my legs were tired.

Running up hill on gravel, sand, stone, pine needles and roots takes a lot of effort. For the first three-quarters of a mile we were on a trail in the woods. There was very little room to pass and we had to run almost single file most of the way.

We finally got to the fire road and the ground leveled off some. I decided to run at will and took off from my group. Running down hill on the fire road made me a little nervous. One false move and I could be out for the season and never reach my goal.

Soon we were back on the trail. It was very challenging for me. The terrain was rough with lots of up hill that was mainly stone. I had to pick my footing carefully and speed was not a consideration.

As the trail wound through the woods there were lots of sharp turns. If it weren’t for the bright shirts of the guys in front of me, I’m not sure I would have been able to stay on the trail and keep running.

When we got to the next fire road I passed one of the guys in front of me. Now there was only one bright shirt to follow. It became even more important to keep up.

I followed the red shirt down the winding wooded trail. The brush was thick in some spots and I lost sight of my guide a few times. When we got onto the trail leading back down to the road I caught up with my red shirted guide and we headed down hill.

We had to wait for traffic to cross the road back to base camp. As I got into the parking lot I checked my watch. I only had 2.87 miles. I decided to run down to the rotary by Flynn Arena to get in my 3.1 miles.

This was a run and not a race. I needed to have the 3.1 miles to have this count towards my goal.

Fun Run Trail Run

I’m not a trail runner so this was a nice change for me. The trail was challenging and the group was fun to hang out with. They talked about adding on to the route next week.

If you can make it to the Flynn Arena parking areas by 6:30 on a Thursday evening, I would highly recommend this trail run.

Run well my friends and have a great weekend,

Andy